EU condemns Bosnian Serb leader Dodik for awarding Putin with medal of honor

The European Union condemned Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik on Monday for awarding Russian President Vladimir Putin with the highest medal of honor as part of the controversial celebration of the founding of the Serb-dominated entity of Republika Srpska.

Dodik awarded Putin in absentia for his "patriotic concern and love" for Republika Srpska.

In late November 2015, Bosnia's Constitutional Court ruled that celebrating Republika Srpska Statehood Day could be discriminatory to other ethnic groups in the country.

The European Commission's lead foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano said at a press conference in Brussels that the decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina must be respected and the awarding of decorations to Putin was deplorable and misguided.

The awards ceremony was held in the city of Banja Luka to commemorate the National Day of Republika Srpska, when Bosnian Serbs declared their own state in Bosnia on Jan. 9, 1992.

Bosnian Serbs are celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the entity Republika Srpska in defiance of Bosnia's top court ruling.

Bosnian Serbs consider Jan. 9 to be their state's most important holiday.